These are not the watches you’d pick up at just any jewelry counter in the mall. The most expensive brands of watches stand apart with timepieces revered for their craftsmanship, long legacies, and histories of groundbreaking innovation, plus a level of luxury that is simply out of reach for many consumers.
If you’re a timepiece collector, these luxury timepieces are already familiar. Suppose you’re just, however, getting a feel for the world of expensive luxury watch brands. In that case, your knowledge may start and end with Rolex watches. If that’s the case, keep reading. You’ll want to learn everything you possibly can about these luxury watch brands and likely add at least a few of them to your collection wish list.
What You Will Learn
The Most Expensive Watches in the World
- Patek Philippe
Patek Philippe is a name that often comes up when discussing the most expensive watch brands for a good reason. Switzerland dominates the luxury watch market, and Patek Philippe is one of the best in Switzerland. Patek Philippe, founded in 1839, is named after its two founders, Adrien Philippe, and Antoni Patek. Since the early 1800s, the brand has produced a range of famed and highly lauded collections. It is known to have created one of the singular most expensive watches in the world, a Grandmaster Chime that sold for $31 million.
- Audemars Piguet
Another well-known name on the luxury watches scene, Audemars Piguet, is known for reinvigorating the luxury watch market in the latter half of the 20th century with the introduction of its Royal Oak. This sports watch premiered during a time when quartz watches threatened to overtake the mechanical watches market completely. With some savvy marketing, the brand made the Royal Oak a highly coveted timepiece that has sold for as much as $2 million.
- Vacheron Constantin
While many of today’s most expensive watch brands started in the 1800s, Vacheron Constantin can trace its heritage back to the mid-1700s, making it one of the most expensive watch brands in the world and one of the oldest luxury brands. As such, this brand launched a few watch features that are simply standard today, such as complications for dates, the predecessor to the perpetual calendar. The most expensive Vacheron Constantin watch thus far has been the Kallista, at $11 million.
- Rolex
However, a much more common and well-known name can boast a watch that sold for even more than that whopping $11 million: Rolex.While Rolex offers various complicated watches that are at least somewhat accessible to most luxury consumers, its most expensive watch thus far is Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona, which sold for more than $17 million.
- Breguet
Much like Vacheron Constantin, this expensive watch brand is one of the oldest, dating to the late 1700s. Breguet watches are known for their groundbreaking features and complications.
One of the brand’s most expensive timepieces isn’t a wristwatch. The Marie-Antoinette Grande Complication Pocket Watch is a complicated pocket watch valued at $30 million.
Don’t Have Enough Cash for the Most Expensive Watches Brand?
Not many of us do. However, a few brands offer costly watches but also watches that are more accessible (just like Rolex). These include:
- F.P. Journe
Most very expensive watch brands tout extensive histories, many getting their start in crafting watch movements as early as the 1800s. However, F.P. Journe stands apart, founded in the late 1990s (still following 19th-century tradition).Today, the brand produces fewer than a thousand timepieces per year, and it is this exclusivity that partially adds to the brand’s value, alongside the luxury materials used, fine craftsmanship, and overall reliability of the timepieces.While you can purchase an F. P. Journe timepiece for as little as tens of thousands of dollars, the brand has sold watches with price tags that exceed $1 million.
- A. Lange & Söhne
This German brand traces its history back to 1845 and is partly responsible for setting the standard for German watchmaking. One complicated watch by the brand, the Triple Split chronograph, goes for $200,000, while some of the brand’s watches have gone for more than $2.5 million. The average shopper, though, can buy an A. Lange & Söhne timepiece for under $20k.
- Jaeger-LeCoultre
This long-standing, celebrity-endorsed brand, which began in the early 1800s and innovated with its small mechanical movements, offers timepieces for as little as a few thousand dollars. However, its most expensive watches exceed $2 million.
- Piaget
With the brand’s Swiss roots, century-plus of experience, and innovative techniques, you can’t go wrong with a Piaget timepiece. For just a few thousand dollars, shoppers can invest in a Piaget timepiece for their collection — though if they want to go all out, they can also find timepieces worth several million.
Most Expensive Watch Brand: FAQs
What is the Most Complicated Watch in the World?
A watch complication is a watch function or feature that provides the wearer with something other than the time (such as the date or time zone). The more complications or extra functions a watch has, the more complicated it is said to be. The most complex watch in the world is the Vacheron Constantin 57260, with 57 complications.
What is the Most Expensive Watch in the World?
While many agree that the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime 6300A-010 was the most expensive brand watch sold at auction for $31.19 million, it’s worth noting that another watch has gone for much more.
The Graff Diamonds Hallucination watch sold for $55 million. That said, Graff is not known as one of the most expensive watch brands in the world, and it is more so known for its jewelry, specifically its diamonds. True horology aficionados would likely argue that the Graff Diamonds Hallucination is hardly a genuine watch, and its value entirely lies in its 110 carts of rare and colored diamonds.
What is the Most Expensive Watch Brand?
The most expensive brand of watch is Patek Philippe.
Whatever Your Watch’s Price Tag, Protect It
Whether you just purchased your first luxury timepiece or have been a long-time collector and investor in the world of all things horology, be sure your prized timepieces are properly protected. Smart protection goes far beyond investing in a watch box or safe.
Specialized jewelry insurance ensures your watches and their values are covered in the event of natural disaster, theft, damage, and other incidents — and in ways that homeowners’ and renters’ insurance just can’t.
Learn more about BriteCo’s comprehensive coverage for luxury timepieces and get your free, quick, and easy quote now.
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